Verdict

The Wrangler 4xe might stay a forbidden fruit for UK consumers – at the least in the interim – however it’s already the best-selling PHEV within the US. We will’t wait to attempt the all-electric model – and put that 12-out-of-10 Rubicon path score to the check.

Whereas the thought of a pure-electric Jeep Wrangler should still be a couple of years off, we’ve already sampled the way forward for hardcore off-roading with a drive within the not-for-UK Wrangler hybrid.

Powered by a 270bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine mated to a 17kWh battery and a pair of electrical motors, the 4xe claims a 31-mile EV vary – greater than sufficient for our low-speed crawl over the specially-designed mud, ruts and water options.

Transferring off, you’ll not discover something significantly untoward. Certain, it’s quieter than the usual automobile, however we’re so used to electrical powertrains as of late that pulling away in silence isn’t that uncommon. On agency floor the Wrangler feels characteristically imprecise, however it’s solely after we’re instructed to place the automobile into its low-range mode that issues get actually fascinating.

Nearly instantly, we’re up on three wheels and testing the Wrangler platform’s inherent stiffness. Only a mild prod on the throttle and the 637Nm of torque – despatched to all 4 wheels, in fact – units us again on observe; regardless of the prodigious on-paper efficiency, energy eases in gently. Nevertheless it’s on the steep slopes that the muscle actually comes into its personal. With drive despatched to every of the 4 wheels on the fly, the electrified Wrangler simply grips and goes.

Rubicon fashions like ours are absolutely kitted out. All vehicles get 17-inch alloy wheels, and off-road-rated tyres are commonplace match. The seats are manually adjustable; Jeep nonetheless hasn’t give you an electrically-operated answer for a automobile that might fairly fairly have water sloshing across the cabin. Bizarrely, you possibly can spec heated leather-based, and naturally, Jeep’s touchscreen infotainment system is included.

The Wrangler’s luxurious trim is the least of our worries, although. Not less than that’s true till we crest a very steep hill, and the advanced digital camera techniques permit us an unparalleled view of the observe forward by way of the dash-mounted touchscreen. We ease excessive – silently, once more – and creep down the opposite aspect utilizing the automobile’s trick hill descent management system.

Experiencing all of this in EV mode with the doorways and roof eliminated – the latter a Wrangler speciality – leads to a very immersive off-road expertise. Jeep CEO Christian Meunier tells us he’s taken a 4xe over the legendary Rubicon Path within the US, and even with out modifications, the hybrid matched the usual Wrangler: “4xe is the brand new 4×4. There isn’t a unfavourable to electrification for Jeep,” he stated.